


it's the little bits

by nesswoodfield



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Drabble Collection, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Shorts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-21 03:55:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14276379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nesswoodfield/pseuds/nesswoodfield
Summary: A place to keep all of my (very) short Vanity drabbles which date back to the very start of their relationship.





	1. Vanity and Sarah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanessa catches Charity post Sarah makeover and teases her. Charity then suggests Sarah give Vanessa a makeover as well.

“And here’s me thinking we were going for a smart-casual tonight?” 

The unmistakable sound of Vanessa’s smirk caused Charity to stop in her tracks. Nothing could ever go unnoticed for once in this tiny village, could it?

She had been so careful to fast walk back to The Woolpack as well, head down and everything, but it turns out she wouldn’t make the best secret agent. Taking a moment, Charity breathed in a lungful of air that she prayed would give her a hint as to how to worm out of this one.

“Vanessa… Of course, of course it’s… You.” She straightened up, turning around to face the vet with a beaming smile plastered across her glossed, brightly pink, heavily lined lips. Her eyes were slightly wider than usual at the panic of being caught, feet already itching to run.

The edges of Vanessa’s lips curled up even further as much as she was trying to hide how funny she was finding this whole situation. “No, no I think you look fantastic.” She drawled out, making a point of flicking the high up-do that was perched so aimlessly on her head. “The- uh, eyeshadow really brings out your inner… Cry for help.” She chuckled. 

“Oh shut up.” Charity scoffed, rolling her eyes, “It was Sarah - I thought I would be nice and let her do my make up for once, last time I ever let that kid anywhere near my new brow-kit, or any slap for that matter.” She noted to herself, ignoring the evident pleasure oozing off of the vet. 

Swaying back and forth, it took all that Vanessa had not to whip out her phone and take a picture. “Nah, it’s quite cute actually.” She started, nose wrinkling a little as studied her even more, the raised brow that Charity gave her in reply letting her cave in, “It’s like I don’t even have to say anything and you’re already blushing.” She couldn’t help the roar of laughter that she burst out into afterwards.

As much as she hated the public teasing, Charity could feel herself smile too, it was impossible not to seeing how much fun the other woman was clearly having with this.

“But mum- please...” You could hear Sarah’s begging tone a mile off, walking after Debbie who had made a bee line out of their house, and suddenly Charity had an idea. 

“Hey, Sarah, babe!” She called out, gaining the attention of her grandchild and also Vanessa, who’s laughter had finally died down. “’Ness here’s just telling me how amazing you made me look and wants to know if you’ll give her a makeover of her own, only with even more eyeshadow and blush…”

“I–” Vanessa’s eyes shot daggers at Charity but before she could protest any further, Sarah was already tugging at her hand.

“Really!? Yes! Oh wow, I’m going to make you look amazing.” Sarah beamed, leaving Vanessa gawping as she was unwillingly pulled into Debbie’s front room. 

“That’s right, and don’t forget to take those before and after pictures you were on about, lots of them.” Charity smirked, throwing Vanessa a little wave as she stood smugly, basking in her little protests which she knew would eventually die down - that woman was a huge pushover sometimes, but that was one of the things that drew her to her in the first place.

Just as she watched the door shut behind them, Charity was snapped out of her thoughts by a wolf whistle across the street. “Ay, looking good, love!” Chas’ laughter erupted and this time, she wasn’t alone, the whole Dingle clan was stood behind her trying to contain their amusement.

Charity quickly turned and felt her legs take off into a sprint back to the pub, mumbling a string of curse words under her breath. Bloody karma.


	2. Secret Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look at one of Vanity's meetings before they were official.

She was shivering. Clearly her gloves weren’t much use as Vanessa rubbed her hands together to get some warmth, her back leaned up against the back of The Woolpack. Charity had told her to meet her there, not to come inside because she only had a few spare minutes, but it was bloody freezing and Vanessa was slowly losing her patience.

Just as she was about to pull her phone out to question her, she heard the door open and let out a small sigh. “Where have you been?” Vanessa asked in a hushed voice, arms crossing over her chest as she let out a soft huff.

She had to admit, Charity looked quite the sight. The way the light of the pub illuminated her in the darkening evening made her look like the picture of innocence - the irony was real. “Sorry, sorry.” She mumbled out an apology, waving her hand and explaining something about Marlon pestering about a Christmas menu. “The important thing is that you’re here though, eh?” And just like that a smile crept up across Vanessa’s lips, nodding her agreement.

The two made sure that they were out of anyone’s view, moving to a more dimmer spot in the back before Charity leaned in, cupping Vanessa’s cheek and wasting no time in pressing a kiss to her lips. She’d noted the softer approach that had been taken in kissing recently, you’d have thought that their secrecy and lack of time with each other would have led to rushed, heated bursts - and sometimes they did - but Charity always made sure to be gentle too. There was just something within her that wanted to savour her brief moments with the other woman. 

“God, you’re freezing.” She told Vanessa, stroking a thumb over her cheek with a slightly pained look in her eyes. “You know, we’re going to have to find a warmer place to kop off or we’ll both be catching colds.” 

The vet hummed in agreement, leaning into the taller woman to try and steal some of her warmth. “I mean, it’s hardly the most romantic place, next to the barrels but just- for now, I like it.” She admitted, a small shrug. She wasn’t ready to flaunt whatever they had in front of everyone, as much as she was sure Charity would enjoy it, especially in front of her dad. And she could ignore the cold for a while. “And… I also like having you to myself.” She added, eyes casting down as she swayed her hips in an ever so slightly child-like manner, smiling bashfully.

“Is that so?” You could hear the smug tone of Charity’s voice a mile away and Vanessa was sure she shouldn’t be inflating her ego much more but once lips connected to hers again, she definitely didn’t mind. “Well, if you wanted to come back later I might be able to make some more time for you. Once Noah’s in bed and all, Chas can close up and you… Can help me finish some wine in front of the telly, how does that sound?” 

The heavily domesticated sound to that should worry Vanessa, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to dwell on it, instead she made a mental note to get Tracy to stay in to see to Johnny and then pecked a kiss to Charity’s lips. “If we can have blankets?” She asked sweetly, eyes glistening.

“Consider it done, babe. I’ll text you when I get free, but it won’t be long okay?” She asked, locking eyes with her as she brushed some hair back from her face.

“Alright.”

From inside the pub, Charity could make out Marlon’s shouts of how important it was for her to check over a set menu and with a sigh she pressed a gentle kiss to Vanessa’s forehead and then pulled away. “I’ll see you later, yeah?” She promised, already making her way back inside.

“Yeah, in a bit.” Vanessa responsed, giving her a small wave.

Suddenly, she was feeling just that little bit warmer inside.


	3. Vanity and Johnny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny won't stop crying as Vanessa bumps into Charity.

It had been a long day for the both of them.

Vanessa had jumped in to cover one of Rhona’s shifts at the surgery whilst she was out shopping for God knows what, which meant she’d had to leave Johnny with Tracy for an extra few hours after nursery; the poor mite was usually tired at the end of the day but this time after so much playing around with his aunt and Jacob, he just really wanted to go to bed.

And so did she.

But unfortunately, Johnny was adamant about his need for sleep, so much so he decided to proclaim it through the power of screaming. Ever since she’d stepped foot outside of David’s he had started to let out bursts of cries, all while dragging his limp limbs across the pavement because walking was clearly draining way too much of his energy. Vanessa was reluctant to give in to his persistent wails of ‘up! I want up!’, partly due to her wanting to enforce a stricter approach and also because she too wanted to crash out in bed.

“C’mon, Johnny - we’re almost there, darling. Look– our house is right there, you can make it a few more steps.” Her voice was soft, pleading through the shrill tones of his protest. “Please, Johnny. Come on.”

But he was really fighting his corner today, with a few more added stomps, he huffed his way a little further. “I jus’ wan– I wan’ sleepies! Am tired an- my legs hurt…” He cried, dragging out the last word in a strangled sob, finishing off the dramatic performance with another loud wail.

“Johnny, sweetheart, we’re practically there, stop being silly now, c’mon.”

“Looks like someone’s had a bad day, huh?” Charity’s voice cut through the toddler’s screams like a breath of fresh air to Vanessa’s ears. She turned, noticing the woman walking towards them from what she guessed was the cafe.

Brushing some of the hair out of her face, she took a hold of Johnny’s hand so he wouldn’t drop onto the floor as some kind of finale finish to his tantrum. “I- yeah, could say that. I think he’s just tired though, aren’t you?” She sighed, directing the last part more sternly to her son who tugged at her hand. “–Johnny, are you gonna say hi to Charity?” She asked hopefully.

“Oh, I wouldn’t bother with me, kid. None of the rest of the lot your age really like me - don’t think I’ve got that touch, y’know?.”

But as if by some kind of magic, as soon as his gaze turned toward the woman in question, his shrieks dissipated as though he was transfixed on her, trying to figure out if he’d seen her before. His breath was a little ragged, worn out by his cries but he managed to reach out his other hand for Charity, grinning.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” Vanessa marvelled, more relieved that her son had stopped wailing for all the village to here than anything. “I think he likes you, you know.”

Charity rolled her eyes fondly and crouched down in front of Johnny, taking his little hand into her own, “Hiya, kid.” She started, waving his little arm about in a circle.

“‘iya!” He repeated, swinging their hands a little more.

A gentle urge within Charity led her to wipe away some of the tears on the boy’s cheeks and she just looked at him with a touch of sympathy, “What’s been getting you down, eh? A long day? Trust me - I know the feeling, you just wait until you’re older and you’re forced to work manual labour all hours, then you’ll know what it feels like-”

“Uh, I hardly count flicking through a magazine while Chas pulls pints is quite ‘manual labour’.” Vanessa butted in, reminding herself of all of the procedures she’d done that day at the vets, now that was labour.

Charity shot her a look of playful narrowed eyes before turning back to Johnny, “But hey– you don’t need to think about that, yet, do you?” She noted, “You just worry about winding your mum up for me, yeah?”

The toddler’s giggles erupted again as he chanced a cheeky look up at his mother. “Yep!” He responded, bouncing on his knees excitedly.

“Oi, you! Don’t be giving him ideas. You give me enough to put up with as it is.” Vanessa shot back, eyes following as Charity stood back up in front of her, brandishing her usual smug expression.

“Oh really? Well if you want me to put up with me later, I have the night off.” She smirked, folding her arms in front of her chest, “Or, if you can’t get out because, y’know,” she nodded down at Johnny, “I could always come over to yours, it must be pretty lonely since Leyla upped sticks, eh? You know, I could keep you company…”

Vanessa couldn’t deny the blush on her cheeks but she had to remember that she did have her son still tugging at her hand to go home, “I, uh, I best be getting this monkey to bed, so.” She told her, a flustered smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Charity’s composure stayed pristinely in tact, just nodding smugly, “Bye then, kiddo.” She smiled, giving Johnny a small wave which he returned before turning to Vanessa again. “Well I guess I’ll be seeing you later.”

She shot her a wink and before Vanessa could reply, she’d taken off back to the pub. “Unbelievable.” She muttered with a chuckle.

Motioning for Johnny to start walking back to their house, she shook her head at herself wondering just how she’d managed to get herself wound up blushing over Charity Dingle.


	4. Vanessa's Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charity asking Vanessa to visit Lisa with her.

“I really don’t know if I should go, you know… I mean, there’s enough of you Dingles as it is, you don’t need me taking up any more room and crowding her.” Vanessa rushes her words, hands clasped in front of her as she tries to look anywhere but Charity’s eyes.

It was hard, she wanted to go and see Lisa, in fact she needed to go - to get the guilt out of her system if anything - but she could just tell that everyone there would blame her somehow, even if they didn’t say anything to her face. She was nervous. She should have known better than to bring her vet bag inside, to leave it laying around open on the table, even if she thought that she was alone with her girlfriend.

“Hey, well, maybe I want you there. Nasty places, those hospitals.” Charity sighed, ducking her head so she could catch Vanessa’s eye, her hands reaching out to clasp over those in front of her. “So, I might need someone to hold my hand, eh?” She tried, offering her a smile.

With a hasty sigh, she shook her head, “I don’t know, Charity…” but Vanessa knew as soon as she looked up and met eyes of soft green that there was no way she could say no.

“Come on, babe. It’ll do you good to see Lisa and she’ll be happy to see you, everyone will!” Charity managed, nodding encouragingly, squeezing her hand as she pulled her lightly towards her. She let her voice soften as she glanced down into her eyes, “It might help to put all this behind you, yeah? We know it wasn’t your fault… All of us. It was just some stupid mistake and those kids… You didn’t mean for any of this.” She promised, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek. “Please? Come with me?”

Vanessa sighed, leaning in to wrap her arms around her girlfriend’s shoulders as her head buried into her neck; she finally caved. “Okay…” Her voice was a whisper but with the comfort of Charity’s words and the arms that had circled around her waist, holding her close, she felt safe enough to do anything.


	5. That More Than Ticks the Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set straight after the infamous moustache scene, a deeper look into Vanity's feelings.

“Come on, you.” Charity sighed, the edges of her lips still curled up from the burst of laughter which had since faded into a heavier atmosphere than intended. She could feel Vanessa’s eyes on her, the whirring anxiety that had now softened into that soppy adoration she was so used to hiding from, but for reasons she couldn’t quite explain with Vanessa, she just wanted to gaze back.

It was intense. The feelings building within her had almost pushed her into saying the words which she had debated saying for the past few weeks, but when it came down to it, she was still too nervous.

Instead, she pushed herself up off of the padded dog bed and stood, extending her hand to her girlfriend, “You also might wanna take off the ‘stache now rather than later, babe. Wouldn’t want you swaning down to London with a red mark or something.” She smirked, helping the smaller woman up off the floor.

Vanessa’s eyes had calmed down now, leaving a wave of gratitude in the intensity’s wake. “You’re unbelievable sometimes, you know that?” She chuckled, using her free hand to slowly peel off the velvet above her lip, wincing ever so slightly as the last came off.

“Hmm… Yep. Unbelievable, irresistible, sexy, bossy… List just keeps growing, doesn’t it?” She squeezed the hand in her own, bending down slightly to make sure she still had her attention. “Listen, ‘Ness. You’ll knock ‘em dead, tomorrow, I know you will. But… if for some, stupid and very unlikely reason you don’t and you do end up an unemployed, has-been with no prospects, well I guess I’m gonna have to make do, won’t I? Because it looks like I’m stuck with you.”

“No,” Vanessa shook her head softly, biting her lip as she watched Charity’s brows furrow. She took a deep breath and tilted her head to the side, “Looks like I’m stuck with you.”

And the words didn’t have to be said, they both knew it was true. They both felt it. And like swept up in a gentle breeze, Charity’s nerves had sailed away.


End file.
